Truth is better left alone
by FucktonofWeeb
Summary: What if the truth behind the demon butler is hidden for a reason? What if it's better to not know why he hides his past from even his young Earl?
1. Before the Hell

The Earl sat quietly in his study, reading over his reports with a bored look on his face. His eye begins to wander around the room as he waits for his butler to bring his afternoon tea. He looks over his shoulder to the window, seeing the back porch of his manor and the greenhouse that lied beyond it, he can just make out the gardener, Finnie, cleaning up after his ridiculous mess concerning the roses and the weedkiller.

"That gardener is ridiculous, why did I even consider the idea of hiring him tolerable.." He huffed and Sebastian walked in with the cart, placing it in front of Ciel's desk as he prepared the tea. "You're late." The boy scoffed.

"I apologize young master, but I'm afraid I became a bit preoccupied with a few more tasks than I'd like to admit.." The butler sighed while pouring his master's tea before handing him it with a delectable dessert. "Today your afternoon sweet is an apple cheesecake with a caramel drizzle and toasted nuts on the side with a sweetened strawberry tea." Ciel picked up the teacup, studying the tea's pink shade.

"Strawberry tea?" He questioned as he sipped the tea lightly.

"Lady Elizabeth brought over quite a few boxes from her visit into the town. She seems to have grown quite fond of it, is it not to your liking sir?"

The boy set the cup down, closing his eye. "It's fine, but I expect something less sweet next time."

"Yes sir," The butler bowed to his lord before walking to his side and holding out a silver platter to him. On it was a white envelope with a red, wax stamp in the symbol of the royal brand. Ciel stared in surprise before he took the envelope, rubbing his thumb against the wax stamp. "It seems the queen has something new in store for you my young lord." The butler gave a smirk as he stood straight and stared at the Earl's face.

The Phantomhive grew an amused look. "It seems she has, I can't wait to see what kind of game it will be." The butler handed him a knife, which Ciel used to open the envelope. He took the letter out and tossed the envelope aside on his desk as he began to read.

Sebastian cleaned up the dishes as Ciel did so, unaware of the fate that lied ahead. What secrets were in store for this next new game?


	2. Beginning of Lies

The carriage rolled through the brick roads and the rain poured down through the blackened sky. Thunder roared and the young maiden inside the carriage stared out the window before looking to the man next to her.

"I am ever so bored, can you tell the old man to speed up already?? We're going to be late!" She huffed and the man nodded, smiling before tapping his cane against the roof and shouting for their servant to speed up, but the carriage only slowed down more.

"What the devil is going on out there??" They soon came to a complete stop and the man got out, looking around in the darkness. "What's going on out here!? Why aren't we-AH!" The man screamed and the woman gasped, covering her mouth and staring at the carriage door.

"Edgar..? Edgar are you there?" She slowly peeked out of the door, seeing a black figure run towards her and she screamed and the last thing her precious eyes ever saw, was that big, toothy grin.

XXX

Ciel read the letter in the carriage while he waited to go inspect the crime scene. It told of gruesome deaths occurring in the streets of London, there seems to be no pattern other than the deaths only occur at night, but that wasn't much to work with.

As they arrive at the scene, Sebastian opened the carriage door for his master and the young boy steps out, walking towards the crime scene where Scotland Yard was already paying a visit. Randall eyed the gray haired boy and scoffed, blocking him off from the scene.

"And just what do you think you're doing here?? This is in no way in need of YOUR services, leave!" He glared down at the child who only returned with a devilish smirk as he held up the envelope with the queen's mark.

"She begs to differ, Sir Randall, now get out of my way. He growled and stepped back, letting Ciel through, the young boy looked at the crime scene in disgust. The bodies had been taken care of and sent to the undertaker, but there was still a mess left behind. The Earl looked up at Randall and Abberline. "What's the report on the bodies, have they been taken care of and have you found any leads yet?"

"Afraid not my dear lad, we've got no leads and no clues..the murderer seems to have left no trail.." Abberline scratched his head slightly, looking through the files and Randall glared at him.

"So Scotland yard is just as clueless as we are on the matter. It looks like you're of no use as always, come Sebastian, lets go somewhere where we can get real information." He turned away and walked off with Sebastian following behind him.

Abberline watched in discomfort as he saw the child leave and he sighed. "Why does that boy have to be such a mystery?"

"Leave it be, Abberline, it's best to stay out of the guard dog's way, unless you want to get bit." Randall watched as the Phantomhive walked out of sight, a cold glare never leaving his eyes.

Ciel walked in and sat down in the carriage and Sebastian sat across from him. He tapped the ceiling of the carriage with his cane and it began to move.

"Let's get to the Undertaker's and leave as soon as we can, I'm getting hungry and I don't want to wait too long before I can eat." The Earl looked out the window, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Of course my lord, I'll get started on dinner when we arrive home." Sebastian smiled and the Undertaker's parlor came into view. The butler opened the carriage for his master before walking into the parlor with him. To their surprise, it looks like the Undertaker already had a visitor.

A man stood before him with a young woman at his side, they both wearing certain chinese attire. Ciel stared at the man befuddled as the man turned to greet the tiny Earl."Oh my lord, it's always good to see you. If you're here then that means you've already caught a new scent am I right?" The man smirked down at the boy.

"Lau? What exactly are you doing here? I haven't informed anyone about the murder cases yet." Ciel raised a brow at him and Lau's expression soon turned to a look of merry.

"What murder cases? Ran Mao and I just happened to stumble into this parlor only moments ago!" Of course he had no idea what was going on, he never does. Ciel let out a loud, irritated sigh and decided to ignore him, walking around the parlor.

"Where is that damn fool anyways?" He eyed the coffin on the far side of the room as the lid began to slide open and a loud cackle echoed through the room.

"My my, it seems the little Earl is in need of my assistance again. I am truly delighted to see you yes indeed!" He poked and eye out staring at the four with a large grin. "Although if you want my services you know my price~" He cackled and the Earl's brow twitched.

"Sebastian, you know what to do, make it quick i'm getting quite bored of this nonsense already." Sebastian put on a patient smile and bows to the boy.

"Of course my lord. If you may, please stand outside, I don't wish for you to hear this." Sebastian fixed his glove and Ciel walked towards the door.

"Fine, just make it quick, come Lau." The three walk out and wait for Sebastian to finish.

As they wait Lau eyes the alleyway staring down it and holding a tighter grip onto his young sister. "I say, does anyone else feel like we're being watched?"

Ciel looked up at him with a questionable look and stared down the alleyway, feeling a chill go up his spine. "...?" A shadow moved down the dark corridor and Ciel went wide eyed before he ran down the alley.

"My lord?" Lau watched him go and soon, booming laughter came from the parlor and Sebastian stepped out.

"There, he's agreed to tell us what he can..Master?" Sebastian's smile faded and he looked around confused when he saw the boy gone.

"I'm afraid the puppy just found a cat to chase." Lau pointed toward the alley and Sebastian stood in surprise for a moment before running down the alley after his master.

Ciel ran as fast as he could after the unknown eavesdropper before finding himself facing a brick wall. He stared in surprise, this alley didn't lead anywhere, so where could the figure be.. Or more importantly, why did he feel the need to run after them? He stared down at the bricks below his feet, trying to remember why he ran down here. For all he knew, it could have been a stray cat or a bird. Did he see them? He can't recall the slightest idea and it seemed the more he thought about it, the less he remembered.

"My lord?" Ciel shot up and quickly turned behind him to see Sebastian standing there with a confused expression. "Care to explain why you wandered away?" He spoke while walking towards the child, completely befuddled.

"There was, something..Someone down here!" He stuttered out and that only stirred more questions in the butler's mind.

"Is that so? Well they seemed to have escaped..For now let's go see what information the Undertaker has for us." He smiled and they walked back to the parlor.

XXX

Ciel sat and stared at the tea the Undertaker gave him. It was in a measuring glass that he supposed was all but sanitary. He looked up at the long haired loon with a cold stare as he spoke.

"What information do you have on the sudden deaths in London?" The man cackled as he tapped his long, black nail to his lower lip.

"These new murders are too much fun to work with! The killer made quite a mess with each body, but I was able to make them all beautiful again!" He wiggled as he spoke and held his arms tightly with a giggle. "However, there are some similarities to these murders as there was to another set of murders that plagued London. In fact the shape of their bodies were almost and if not than identical to the ones from then.. It's quite uncanny~"

The Earl stared in surprise. "Other murders? From when?"

"Well, the head was cut clean off from all the victims bodies and each of them had something missing..but each body was different.." His nails tapped against his teeth. "One was missing both his eyes.. Another was missing her tongue.. The two newest victims were missing her ears and the other was missing his fingers. Quite interesting no?"

Lau tilted his head in confusion. "I don't recall ever hearing about other murders like this in London.."

"That's because those were all different methods of torture used hundreds of years ago..They we're forms of punishment people would use if someone had lost their faith in God and abandoned the church." Sebastian stated. "Taking their eyes, they shall never see the light, take their tongue, never beg for the lord's mercy, take their ears, never hear his words, take their fingers, never touch heaven."

"Correct, Butler..I'm surprised, out of all the people, I'd never think it would be you to know this. I'd say you've abandoned your way from God as well.. But you were never on that path to begin with were you?" He gave him a wide grin and Sebastian only chuckled.

"I think we should stick to the topic of the murders and not focus on my servant's beliefs." Ciel said with an irritated look.

"Of course, young Earl.." He gave them the autopsy files. "Another interesting fact I've noticed on the bodies..each one of them had a letter carved into their forehead. S. U. L. I."

"It seems our killer is trying to spell out something..I wonder what." Ciel thought.

"Or who." Lau stated, causing the Earl to give him a questionable look. "We know they're killing with old torture methods used to punish people who have lost their faith in God, so maybe..spelling out his name, is his way of asking for forgiveness..or maybe it's a clue that could be leading us to a certain book that hold all the answers."

Ciel looked up at Sebastian before looking back to Lau. "That's a bit rash to run to a conclusion that involves looking into the Bible don't you think?"

"The what now?" They all stared in annoyance and surprise. "I'm sorry, my mind has been elsewhere for most of this conversation, what were we talking about?"

"You're joking with me! I've about had it with your nonsense for today Lau." Ciel scoffed before standing. "If that's all the information you have then we'll be taking our leave now." Sebastian placed Ciel's coat back on and the four left with the Undertaker's goodbye.

"Farewell young lord! Come back if you ever wish to be fitted for one of my coffins!" He cackled. "Yes, I am quite eager to see how this one plays out..how will the young lord react. When his pieces start to turn on him?"


	3. Between the Lines

AN: HOLY HELL IT'S BEEN A YEAR.

The Library of Cinematic Records, it holds all the information of every living soul who is, was and will be. Here we find a certain reaper, going through some selected files he retrieved from dispatch.

"All these deaths seem to come from the same culprit in London, no doubt I'm going to have another run in with that disgusting demon again.. At least I won't have that annoying, redheaded fool around to run to him at every waking moment. I'll actually be able to get some work done." He fixed his glasses before looking up at the shelves of files and records. "I've got quite a handful of work to do..and no time to waste.. Ah?" a file fell from one of the shelves and lied open on the ground. "What do we have here?" He picked up the file and to his surprise, there was no picture to go with the name. "...?" He looked around to see if anyone was near before slipping the file in with the others and walking off. "Must not waist anymore time."

XXX

Ciel had just arrived into the London house with his new, unwelcomed guests and Soma and Agni were at the door, waiting for them.

"I will prepare tea for you my lord while you wait for dinner." Sebastian said as he took his master's coat.

"None of that strawberry tea, I want Earl Grey." He replied while walking to the lounge, ignoring Soma and Agni.

Sebastian bowed. "As you wish, Master." With that, the butler left to prepare the tea and meal.

"Quite a case you have this time young lord, and all as mysterious. How do you think this game will play out Ran Mao?" Lau turned to his quiet sister who sat on his lap in silence. He took a puff from his opium pipe before turning to ciel. "I'm sure it will go just how the master sees fit."

"Naturally, the Queen has given me orders and it's my job to follow them. The game will always fall in my favor." Ciel smirked as Sebastian set his tea down.

"Always following orders like the trained dog on a leash..you are and so confident your chess pieces will fall into place, you never doubt it, it almost makes me curious to see what will happen when the game doesn't play in your favor. What will happen when you find a player who is better than you?" Lau stood up, placing a hand on the boy's cheek. "What will you do then, my young lord?

"As the Queen's guard dog, I will be the victor, it's as she commands. No matter who my opponent is or how they play, I will win each game." The boy gave a cold stare and Lau sat back down.

"You truly hold confidence in your pieces don't you Earl?"

Ciel gave a chuckle. "It's not about my pieces, it's in my strategy. how I play. my pieces do nothing more than what I ask, as they should. If I give them an order, no matter what it is they will follow it."

"And what if one of those pieces were to turn on you, what if your most trusted dog were to bite the hand that feeds it?" Ciel went silent, staring at Lau with an unpleasant gaze.

"Then by the orders of the Underworld, I will eradicate them-"

"That's not one of the pieces I was referring to.." He interrupted. "When I say your most trustworthy dog..I mean the _closest_ one. The one you cannot live without.."

Once again, the Earl went quiet before glancing at Sebastian who was standing next to the boy in silence, not meeting his gaze. Ciel leaned forward, his elbows propped up on the table as his hands intertwined, letting him rest his chin on them. He gave Lau a devious smirk as he spoke."Just what are you trying to say Lau? Have one of my dogs sniffed out a rat?"

Lau only returned the gesture with a blow if smoke. He opened his eyes, slightly and stared at the young Phantomhive. "Indeed I have, but taking out this rat might cause you a bit of trouble..are you willing to take this risk?"

"A game isn't fun without risks.. So tell me, what do my cards hold in favor?"

Lau gave a soft chuckle as he set the pipe down and held out an envelope to him. "I received this earlier today. It seems there is a rat amongst your dogs, my lord.. One that knows all too well about these killings."

Ciel looked a bit surprised before taking the letter and opening it up. It was handwritten in a wretched writing, yet still legible.

" _Killings won't stop 'til truth be told. Not for shillings, not for gold. The Underworld's king will be my last. I won't stop 'til you seen the past. Hear me now loyal dog or I'll be pissed. You get this letter, you're on my list. I'll be seein you sooner than you think. I'll cut you open before you blink." - The Fallen_

"It seems not only am I now a target, but you are as well. It seems who's ever committing these murders, they know their way around the Underworld.." Lau sat back in his chair.

"It seems you're right..Why didn't you inform me of this letter earlier?" Ciel looked up at the man with a glare.

"Why didn't you ask? I would have gladly told you if you would have asked nicely!" He smiled at the earl and Ciel let out a groan.

"I swear, having you around me is painful.." He pinched the bridge of his nose and Lau got up.

"Well, we've overstayed our welcome, I think it's about time we went home, don't you agree Ran Mao?" He waved before turning away and walking out. "Ta-Ta my young earl."

The two watched him leave and Ciel sat back in his chair before looking up to his butler. "Who's ever committing these murders plans to target me and others who work in the Underworld.. It looks like you'll have quite a lot of work to do tonight." He gave a small smirk and Sebastian nodded. "Find out what relates the murders and make a suspect list then report to me tomorrow with your findings."

Sebastian bowed and gave him a smile. "Yes, my lord."


End file.
